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WELCOME TO CONNECT! As we start up our new initiative, this blog will serve a number of purposes: 1. As a place to share the classroom projects, assignments and assessment practices of the Calgary Science School 2. As a place where CSS teachers and administrators can publicly reflect and engage in dialogue on their practice 3. As a place where CSS can build a learning network outside the walls of our school. We want to collaborate with and learn from other teaching professionals, around the city, province, country and around the world. Come join us on our new journey!

A Note to Teachers and Parents These sites provide actvities that practice reading skills. Almost all these have a sound component so that the children can hear the stories. Some sites provide reading comprehension practice. When children use these sites, ask them to reflect on what they learned from them.

An article in last week's Education Week looks at the increasingly common practice of reading aloud to middle and high school students. In discussing the practice with Mary Ann Zehr (I'm quoted briefly in the piece) I made the point that while there is certainly nothing wrong with reading out loud to teenagers, it is symptomatic of what I call "literacy creep" - the tendency of elementary school-style instructional techniques to find their way deeper into K-12 education across all content areas.

Yet another beautiful analysis of a major problem in education today by the good people at Core Knowledge.

Effective Practice with e-Portfolios

Effective Practice with e-Portfolios

POWER ON TEXAS is a collaboration between TEA and AMS Pictures to highlight teachers effectively using technology to transform student achievement across the state and share these examples with other educational stakeholders. POWER ON TEXAS shows how districts overcame barriers associated with technology transformation, professional development surrounding training, administrative support, best practices with technology transformation and project-based learning as well as rural implications with technology. JOIN THE POWER ON TEXAS REVOLUTION AND SEE HOW TEXAS SCHOOLS ARE POWERING ON TO INNOVATIVE 21ST CENTURY TEACHING AND LEARNING practiceS.

This December 2005 report talks about best practices in teaching literacy. For those of you who like to review best practices from around the world, this came in from the International Dyslexia Association in their Summer 2011 Perspectives on Language and Literacy "Global Perspectives" column.

A new, free white paper-"Best Practices for Using Games & Simulations in the Classroom"-that tackles the practical challenges teachers face when they use video games was released this past February by the Software & Information Industry Association's Education Division. In this article, Lee Wilson, the author of the paper and the co-chair of the working group that produced it, summarizes, excerpts from, and describes the main points of the report.

The Center for Social Media is a project of the School of Communication at the American University in Washington, D.C. The Center in conjunction with the Media Education Lab at Temple University in Philadelphia and The Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property, a project of the Washington College of Law at the American University in Washington D.C. has developed a Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education. The National Council of Teachers of English is signatory to the document, along with various other legal and educational groups. The code was funded by The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and The Ford Foundation through the Future of Public Media Project. (Annotation by Larry Michaud - UW-Stout E-Learning Practicum)

"In his new book, Professor Keith Taber reassures practicing and training science teachers, as he explores a range of issues faced by secondary school educators and discusses strategies for teaching the nature of scientific knowledge, making practical work effective and challenging young scientists. Throughout the academic prose, Professor Taber reflects on the nature of scientific knowledge in science education encouraging creating narratives, challenging misconceptions, and exploring principles of constructive teaching. The book continues with exploring specific challenges, such as teaching electrical circuits to lower secondary school students, along with a chapter dedicated to supporting gifted students who excel at the subjects."

"Teachers want to see more support for parents to help them resist the practice of 'off-rolling'. New research for Ofsted finds that a quarter of teachers have seen off-rolling - when a child is removed from the school roll for the school's benefit, rather than in the child's best interests - happen in their schools. Two-thirds of these teachers believe the practice is on the rise. The study, based on survey responses from over 1000 teachers, paints a concerning picture of the extent of off-rolling in England's schools. Teachers believe that parents with less understanding of the education system and their rights are most likely to be pressured into taking their child out of school."

Here is an interesting point as I research inquiry based learning and move to look in a database that is largely built from overseas. Many places called "inquiry" "enquiry" so in this set of lessons across the curriculum, I have to search using the term "enquiry" to turn up what have been tagged as "inquiry based" lesson plans. There are many nuances like that as you start looking at best practices across the world to remember. Eventually, hopefully, language searches will translate between common languages (like English) to help us bridge best practices. If you're looking into inquiry-based learning (or equiry-based depending upon where you're from) - this is a database of lesson plans from Kindergarten up in different categories.

"We often talk about the challenges of teacher recruitment and retention, about new initiatives and political landscapes, but day in, day out, teachers and schools are delivering exceptional teaching and most of it is invisible. Ross uncovers, celebrates, analyses and disseminates best practice in teaching. This is supported by case studies and research undertaken by Ross in ten primary and secondary schools across Great Britain, including a pupil referral unit and private, state and grammar schools, as well as explanations from influential educationalists as to why and how these ideas work. Ross explores the issues of marking and assessment, planning, teaching and learning, teacher wellbeing, student mental health, behaviour and exclusions, SEND, curriculum, research-led practice and CPD."

In this webinar, expert in eBooks Meredith Wemhoff discusses ways to engage and support learners with special needs using eBooks and audio. Using the case-study of an independent all-boys school located in Surrey, the school provides special needs students an opportunity to succeed and thrive. Many arrive to the 80-year-old institution with low self-confidence, often due to struggles they faced in traditional educational institutions caused by learning and language difficulties. This means providing a collection that meets the individual learning needs of the school's 470 students, who range in age from 8-18. ​​​​​​​ During this eye-opening webinar, Meredith will share the story of selecting, launching and promoting a digital library service that helps address learning challenges. Attendees will come away with best practices for bringing ebooks and audiobooks to their school and real-life examples of these practices in action. Don't miss out, register today!

Iowa State University Resources - extensive resources on assessment, Bloom's Taxonomy, critical thinking, student engagement, national benchmarks of educational practice, UDL.  Includes student resources, as well.  

Excellent overview of the term community of practice. The origin of the term and the use of it in education is important as many of us are working through the social aspects of learning. I have seen that when established community habits and expectations occur, that learning is facilitated and the group as a whole becomes more engaged and focused. I'm citing this research in my new book about collaborative writing from Eye on education.

What does it mean to be a successful science or math teacher? The definition of success is an elusive thing and measured in many ways. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines success as - resulting in or gaining a favorable outcome. This, without a doubt, is your and every other teacher's goal for their students.

NACOL promising practices report about combining face-to-face with online learning.

This middle school 1:1 learning program in Maine has been named one of the best. here is some information on best practices and a video about it that I'll be reading and learning from as we discuss this at our school over the next year.

Overview of 1:1 best practices from Skowhegan Area Middle School in Maine